Ryusuke Taguchi will be taking his place and as a result will be facing Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the first round. Their match will be taking place on March 10th.

This will be Ryusuke Taguchi’s second time competing in the New Japan Cup. His only other time was in 2008 when he lost to eventual winner Hiroshi Tanahashi in the second round. Now, eleven years later, Taguchi will have another shot at heavyweight glory.

The winner of the 2019 New Japan Cup will receive an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Jay White at G1 Supercard on April 6th. You can find our full list of New Japan Cup participants and first round matches here.

Who do you think is going to win the tournament? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter or on Discord!